Certain residential and commercial appliances, such as refrigerator appliances, include a housing that defines one or more compartments for storage of articles therein. Exterior and interior doors and/or drawers can be provided for accessing the compartments. One or more handles are typically provided for manipulating such doors and drawers. Fasteners may be used to attach the handles or, in other constructions, the handles may be formed integrally with the doors.
For certain applications, shipping an appliance without one or more of the handles installed may be desirable. For example, shipping the appliance with the handle already installed can increase the footprint of the appliance. Additionally, installed handles can increase the amount of packaging materials required for protecting the appliance during shipping. For instance, a handle that protrudes from the appliance may need special packaging to prevent damage during shipping.
Challenges exist, however, with providing one or more handles to be installed by a retailer or purchaser of the appliance. Commonly used handle constructions may require special tools and/or skills that the retailer or purchaser may not possess. In addition, the installation process may require multiple steps and/or the presence of more than one person. Such factors may lead the retailer or purchaser to incorrectly install the handle or not even attempt installation, which in turn can lead to service calls and/or dissatisfaction with the appliance.
Also, where the handle assembly requires multiple parts, particularly small fasteners such as screws, bolts, and washers, such parts are typically shipped with the product. Unfortunately, this requires additional steps during manufacture and packaging. Additionally, such parts may be lost by the retailer or purchaser prior to, or during, installation.
Accordingly, a handle assembly for an appliance that can be shipped with the appliance uninstalled would be useful. A handle assembly with features that allow for installation without the use of tools and/or multiple small parts would also be useful. Such a handle assembly that can be used on a door, drawer, or component of a variety of different appliance types would be particularly beneficial.